An investigation into the rate of thefts in neighborhood communities reveals some areas fare better than others when it comes to keeping personal belongings.

Prompted by statistics reviewed at a Titusville city council meeting Monday, which showed a dramatic increase in thefts from the same period last year, research revealed some surprising numbers as well as some plausible explanations.

TITUSVILLE

The catalyst for the investigation was the police chief's report to the city manager showing 40 thefts in June, up from 11 in the same period of 2006. More alarming was the year-to-date totals, which increased from 43 to 105.

Although the information is accurate, it may not be as startling as the first glance, according to police chief Michael Simmons.

"The majority of our thefts are coming from thefts from vehicles. We believe it to be a selected group of actors and have a pretty good handle on those," Simmons said.

Some of the items popular with the renegade group include CDs, purses, radios and duffle bags.

"They were taking anything they could get their hands on. Since about one-third to one-half of the vehicles were not locked, we are reminding people to lock their vehicles at all times," Simmons said.

No charges have been filed in connection with the rash of robberies, but Simmons said the rate of incidence has drastically dropped off for the month of July as the investigation continues.

"The interviews are continuing, but the investigation is incomplete," he said.

Simmons said the best deterrent to this type of situation is public awareness.

"Suspicious activity should always be reported to the police. Don't leave valuables in the car and lock the doors," Simmons said.

OIL CITY

Oil City is experiencing a downward trend in the rate of thefts, which also include theft by deception or writing bad checks.

Last year through June, Oil City reported 139 thefts. For 2007, the figure stands at 97 through June. The total for 2006 was 261.

Oil City police chief Bob Wenner said there can be a lot of factors in determining both downward and upward trends, including public reporting.

"We are down, but there are so many variables from one year to the next. We could have more people experiencing thefts and not reporting them. You have to try and work with what you see and what you know," Wenner said.

Wenner said one encouraging trend in Oil City, is the formation of citizen organizations watchdog the safety in smaller neighborhood areas.

"Our community has two organizations, a South Side Association and a North Side Association. And yesterday we met with a gentleman that is looking to begin a citizen watch in Siverly," he said.

"The more the people become involved, the harder it is for criminal activity to thrive. The citizens of Oil City have become much more active in their participation with law enforcement, it is extra eyes and ears."

Not only do the watch groups foster a better working relationship between the community and the department, but they also create a bridge for communication, Wenner said.

"As police chief, I don't want fences between us, I want us to work together. It's really power to the citizens," he said. "It also may help take away the impact if you are a victim because you can fight back against crime in a smart sense. I don't ever want people to place themselves in a position of danger, but I want to help teach them what to do."

FRANKLIN

Coming in at the lowest statistics of the three communities for theft is Franklin with 20 cases reported through May and 27 for the same period in 2006.

"We are about on the same pace as last year," said police chief Jeff Storm.

Storm pointed out that sometimes thefts are the result of kids or a particular group that gets a notion of what they are going to do to create havoc.

"But other times, truly, there is a correlation between drug usage and thefts for people that need some quick money to either sell the items or to trade," Storm said.

Storm suggested citizens interested in the crime statistics for a particular community look at a website which provides that type of information from individual police departments.

The site is http://ucr.psp.state.pa.us

The Web site includes an area for public viewing as well as a section reserved for police use only.

Some specialized categories of crime may create fluctuations within police departments that slightly affect numbers from city to city. For example, bad checks may be included in the theft category for one city and not in another.

"The majority of our thefts are coming from thefts from vehicles. We believe it to be a selected group of actors and have a pretty good handle on those," Simmons said.

Some of the items popular with the renegade group include CDs, purses, radios and duffle bags.

"They were taking anything they could get their hands on. Since about one-third to one-half of the vehicles were not locked, we are reminding people to lock their vehicles at all times," Simmons said.

No charges have been filed in connection with the rash of robberies, but Simmons said the rate of incidence has drastically dropped off for the month of July as the investigation continues.

"The interviews are continuing, but the investigation is incomplete," he said.

Simmons said the best deterrent to this type of situation is public awareness.

"Suspicious activity should always be reported to the police. Don't leave valuables in the car and lock the doors," Simmons said.

OIL CITY

Oil City is experiencing a downward trend in the rate of thefts, which also include theft by deception or writing bad checks.

Last year through June, Oil City reported 139 thefts. For 2007, the figure stands at 97 through June. The total for 2006 was 261.

Oil City police chief Bob Wenner said there can be a lot of factors in determining both downward and upward trends, including public reporting.

"We are down, but there are so many variables from one year to the next. We could have more people experiencing thefts and not reporting them. You have to try and work with what you see and what you know," Wenner said.

Wenner said one encouraging trend in Oil City, is the formation of citizen organizations watchdog the safety in smaller neighborhood areas.

"Our community has two organizations, a South Side Association and a North Side Association. And yesterday we met with a gentleman that is looking to begin a citizen watch in Siverly," he said.

"The more the people become involved, the harder it is for criminal activity to thrive. The citizens of Oil City have become much more active in their participation with law enforcement, it is extra eyes and ears."

Not only do the watch groups foster a better working relationship between the community and the department, but they also create a bridge for communication, Wenner said.

"As police chief, I don't want fences between us, I want us to work together. It's really power to the citizens," he said. "It also may help take away the impact if you are a victim because you can fight back against crime in a smart sense. I don't ever want people to place themselves in a position of danger, but I want to help teach them what to do."

FRANKLIN

Coming in at the lowest statistics of the three communities for theft is Franklin with 20 cases reported through May and 27 for the same period in 2006.

"We are about on the same pace as last year," said police chief Jeff Storm.

Storm pointed out that sometimes thefts are the result of kids or a particular group that gets a notion of what they are going to do to create havoc.

"But other times, truly, there is a correlation between drug usage and thefts for people that need some quick money to either sell the items or to trade," Storm said.

Storm suggested citizens interested in the crime statistics for a particular community look at a website which provides that type of information from individual police departments.

The site is http://ucr.psp.state.pa.us

The Web site includes an area for public viewing as well as a section reserved for police use only.

Some specialized categories of crime may create fluctuations within police departments that slightly affect numbers from city to city. For example, bad checks may be included in the theft category for one city and not in another.